No more class action lawsuits allowed under new Microsoft user agreements

Microsoft is updating many of its user agreements so that customers can no longer file class action lawsuits.

“When a customer in the United States has a dispute about a Microsoft product or service, many of our new user agreements will require that, if we can’t informally resolve the dispute, the customer bring the claim in small claims court or arbitration, but not as part of a class action lawsuit,” Tim Fielden, assistant general counsel at Microsoft, wrote in an official blog post.

Fielden says that many companies have adopted this approach since the U.S. Supreme Court permitted it in a 2011 decision.

The revision barring class-action suits was implemented in Xbox LIVE user agreements several months ago, and Microsoft plans to include it in other products and services launching in the future, Fielden wrote.

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Welcome to Microsoft Pri0: That's Microspeak for top priority, and that's the news and observations you'll find here from Seattle Times technology reporter Matt Day. Send tips or comments to mday@seattletimes.com.